Displays for promoting and demonstrating fragrance products within a retail environment are well known in the art. Such displays serve to catch the attention of consumers and persuade consumers to purchase the product being advertised. To accomplish this, fragrance product displays generally aim to provide pleasing aesthetics and proper samples of the fragrance products. Although appearance is important, consumers prefer to know exactly what the fragrance smells like before purchasing a product for personal or home use. For the most part, descriptions on the packaging or labeling are not sufficient or accurate in describing a scent of the product. Accordingly, displays for promoting a fragrance share the common goal of providing an accurate sample of the fragrance being advertised.
Some of the currently existing solutions range from something as simple as scratch and sniff pads on product packaging to more complex devices which selectively atomize one of a plurality of scents according to user input. Scratch and sniff pads generally wear off too easily and fail to accurately reproduce the actual scent of the product. More complicated devices and atomizers typically take up too much space and are not cost effective. Therefore, displays promoting fragrance products within a retail environment usually resort to providing a plurality of sample bottles or testers to allow consumers to examine each available scent at the point of sale.
Testers are essentially sample bottles or containers of the actual fragrance that consumers can spray into the air or onto a sampling card to examine the fragrance firsthand. However, multiple testers from different manufacturers are usually grouped together in a single area designated for sampling, such as on countertops, shelves, or the like. This takes up a considerable amount of space and adds clutter. Such an arrangement also makes it difficult to distinguish and advertise one particular fragrance product over a competing brand or product line. Additionally, testers are typically provided only for perfumes and colognes, but not for fragrance dispensers designed for the home. Consequently, when selecting a fragrance for home use, consumers are forced to guess by reading the description on package labels, smelling the packaging, or by opening the package in the store.
Furthermore, as fragrance samples and testers are exposed and easily accessible, they are more likely to be misplaced, stolen, damaged, or the like. This can cause confusion or frustration to consumers and the staff of a retail establishment. In addition to being easily accessible, testers tend to lack substantial means of controlling or limiting the amount of the sample to be dispensed per use. For instance, sprays or active fragrance dispensers may be used in excess amounts than is necessary, while opened passive fragrance dispensers may be left unsealed and prone to evaporation. Therefore, providing samples of a fragrance product via testers often results in significant volumes of the product being wasted on refilling or replacing depleted samples.
Therefore, multiple needs exist for an aesthetically pleasing display which provides a proper demonstration of a brand or product line of fragrances. More specifically, needs exist for a display that reduces clutter and sets the products apart from the competition. The need also exists for a fragrance display which provides means of minimizing the amount of the product that is wasted on sampling. An ideal display should also be cost-conscious and provide a display that may be easily installed and readily adaptable to new products or changing retail environments. The display should also require minimal space and be mountable on existing shelving units.